US6625901B1 - Apparatus and method for drying a thin substrate - Google Patents
Apparatus and method for drying a thin substrate Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US6625901B1 US6625901B1 US09/717,163 US71716300A US6625901B1 US 6625901 B1 US6625901 B1 US 6625901B1 US 71716300 A US71716300 A US 71716300A US 6625901 B1 US6625901 B1 US 6625901B1
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- bath
- fluid
- chamber
- substrate
- gas
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired - Lifetime, expires
Links
Images
Classifications
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
- H01L21/677—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for conveying, e.g. between different workstations
- H01L21/67739—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for conveying, e.g. between different workstations into and out of processing chamber
- H01L21/6776—Continuous loading and unloading into and out of a processing chamber, e.g. transporting belts within processing chambers
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
- H01L21/67005—Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
- H01L21/67011—Apparatus for manufacture or treatment
- H01L21/67017—Apparatus for fluid treatment
- H01L21/67028—Apparatus for fluid treatment for cleaning followed by drying, rinsing, stripping, blasting or the like
- H01L21/67034—Apparatus for fluid treatment for cleaning followed by drying, rinsing, stripping, blasting or the like for drying
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
- H01L21/67005—Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
- H01L21/67011—Apparatus for manufacture or treatment
- H01L21/67017—Apparatus for fluid treatment
- H01L21/67028—Apparatus for fluid treatment for cleaning followed by drying, rinsing, stripping, blasting or the like
- H01L21/6704—Apparatus for fluid treatment for cleaning followed by drying, rinsing, stripping, blasting or the like for wet cleaning or washing
- H01L21/67046—Apparatus for fluid treatment for cleaning followed by drying, rinsing, stripping, blasting or the like for wet cleaning or washing using mainly scrubbing means, e.g. brushes
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
- H01L21/67005—Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
- H01L21/67011—Apparatus for manufacture or treatment
- H01L21/67017—Apparatus for fluid treatment
- H01L21/67028—Apparatus for fluid treatment for cleaning followed by drying, rinsing, stripping, blasting or the like
- H01L21/6704—Apparatus for fluid treatment for cleaning followed by drying, rinsing, stripping, blasting or the like for wet cleaning or washing
- H01L21/67057—Apparatus for fluid treatment for cleaning followed by drying, rinsing, stripping, blasting or the like for wet cleaning or washing with the semiconductor substrates being dipped in baths or vessels
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10S—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10S134/00—Cleaning and liquid contact with solids
- Y10S134/902—Semiconductor wafer
Definitions
- the present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for drying a substrate and more particularly, to an apparatus and a method for drying a disk for a data storage device (hard drive) by controlled delivery of polar organic vapor, such as isopropyl alcohol (IPA), acetone, or methanol.
- polar organic vapor such as isopropyl alcohol (IPA), acetone, or methanol.
- the purpose of drying the substrates is to remove water on the substrates after cleaning.
- the methods include the spin-rinse dry method, the hot water slow pull method, the Marangoni-type process, and the hot IPA process.
- spin-rinse dry uses centrifugal forces to remove water from substrate surfaces.
- spin-rinse dry is known to have problems such as water spotting, static electric charge build-up, and stress-induced substrate damage.
- the substrates are immersed in a hot water bath, which is heated to 80-90° C., and then slowly pulled from the bath.
- a substrate is pulled from the bath, a thin water film is formed on the surface of the substrate.
- the thermal energy stored in the substrate evaporates the thin water film.
- the rate at which the substrate is separated from the bath must be matched to the evaporation rate.
- the hot water process has several shortcomings. When the substrate has a non-homogeneous surface, partly hydrophobic and partly hydrophilic, the substrate is likely to have stains thereon. Further, condensation of water vapor on the substrate after the substrate is pulled from the hot water may produce stains on the substrate.
- the hot IPA process uses a large quantity of IPA, which is flammable, to fill the drying chamber. Accordingly, the hot IPA process is costly and environmentally unsafe.
- the Marangoni-type process involves the introduction of a polar organic compound which dissolves in the liquid and thereby reduces the surface tension of the liquid.
- U.S. Pat. No. 6,027,574 entitled “METHOD OF DRYING A SUBSTRATE BY LOWERING A FLUID SURFACE LEVEL”, shows a Marangoni-type process.
- fluid flows from low surface tension region to high surface tension region.
- the Marangoni-type process while the substrate is separated from the bath containing water that is at room temperature, the water is driven away from the substrate because of the Marangoni effect. To avoid condensation of water vapor on the surface of the substrate, the Marangoni-type process does not use hot water.
- the drying speed of the process is low, because the substrate is dried at room temperature, and the chamber is purged of the remaining IPA vapor for an extended period of time (3-5 minutes) after being removed from the water. Accordingly, drying cost is high.
- purging of IPA while the substrate is dried in the chamber may cause condensation of water vapor.
- an effective drying process should be cost-effective by increasing drying speed, and should be environmentally safe, and should prevent the condensation of water on the substrate.
- An aspect of the present invention provides a substrate dryer.
- a dryer in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention includes: a bath containing a fluid; a fluid heater that heats the fluid; a chamber; and a delivery system for supplying a polar organic vapor, such as isopropyl alcohol.
- the isopropyl alcohol delivery system supplies isopropyl alcohol vapor to an interface between the substrate and the fluid when the substrate is removed from the fluid of the bath into the chamber.
- the interface is the boundary between a portion of the substrate out of the fluid and a portion of the substrate in the fluid.
- the isopropyl alcohol vapor may be combine with a carrier gas, such as nitrogen.
- a carrier gas such as nitrogen.
- the isopropyl alcohol delivery system supplies the isopropyl alcohol vapor from one or more directions.
- the dryer further includes a chamber environment control system that supplies a heated gas into the chamber to dry the substrate and exhaust the remaining isopropyl alcohol vapor and water vapor.
- the chamber environment control system includes: a gas inlet through which the gas is supplied into the chamber; a gas outlet through which the gas is removed out of the chamber; and a gas heater that heats the gas before the gas is supplied into the chamber.
- the chamber environment control system controls the temperature and humidity in the chamber.
- the gas inlet is at a top portion of the chamber, and the gas outlet is at the bottom portion of the chamber. Further, a variable speed fan is connected to the gas outlet to draw the gas from the chamber.
- the dryer further includes a fluid circulation system that circulates the fluid in the bath and a substrate transfer system that transfers the substrate into and out of the fluid of the bath.
- the fluid circulation system includes: a pump circulating the fluid into and out of the bath; and a filter through which the fluid from the bath passes before being supplied into the bath.
- the substrate transfer system includes: a nest containing the substrate therein; and an arm that moves so that the substrate in the nest is immersed into and removed from the fluid of the bath.
- the dryer further includes: a chamber heater attached to the chamber to transfer thermal energy into the chamber and an overflow tank receiving overflow of the fluid from the bath.
- a drying method in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention includes: immersing a substrate into a fluid contained in a bath; removing the substrate from the fluid into a chamber; and supplying a polar organic vapor, such as isopropyl alcohol vapor, to an interface between the substrate and the fluid.
- a polar organic vapor such as isopropyl alcohol vapor
- Introduction of the isopropyl alcohol vapor forms a thin layer of mixture of isopropyl alcohol vapor and water at the interface, increasing the wettability of non-homogeneous substrates and promoting removal of the fluid when the substrate is removed from the fluid.
- the fluid in the bath has a temperature higher than the room temperature
- the method further includes: supplying a gas into the chamber to dry the substrate; heating the gas before supplying the gas into the chamber; and removing the gas. While the gas is removed, the water vapors evaporated from the fluid and the remaining IPA vapor are also removed.
- the method further includes: circulating the fluid into and out of the bath; heating the fluid; and filtering the fluid before the fluid is supplied into the bath.
- the method further includes heating the chamber to transfer thermal energy into the chamber.
- FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a dryer in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 2 illustrates a disk carrying system of the dryer of FIG. 1 .
- FIG. 3 is a transverse cross-sectional view of the dryer of FIG. 1 .
- FIG. 4 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the dryer of FIG. 1 .
- FIGS. 5A and 5B are perspective views of door opening portions of the dryer of FIG. 1 .
- FIGS. 6A to 6 D illustrate a door opening mechanism of the dryer of FIG. 1 .
- FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the connection between the chamber and the tank of the dryer of FIG. 1 .
- FIG. 8 is a schematic view illustrating the gas supply system of the dryer of FIG. 1 .
- FIGS. 9A to 9 C illustrate a gas inlet of the dryer of FIG. 1 .
- FIG. 10A illustrates the movement of gas and vapors inside the dryer of FIG. 1 during a drying process.
- FIG. 10B is a perspective view of the manifold for the IPA delivery system of FIG. 10 A.
- FIGS. 11A to 11 D illustrate a nest of the dryer of FIG. 1 .
- FIG. 12 illustrates an arm that carries disk carriers of the dryer of FIG. 1 .
- FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of a control circuit that controls various operations of the dryer of FIG. 1 .
- FIG. 14 is a flow chart of a disk drying process in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.
- FIGS. 15A to 15 D illustrate the movement of a disk during the drying process of the FIG. 14 .
- FIGS. 16A and 16B illustrate the formation of a thin water film and a meniscus at the interface between the disk and the water bath during the drying the process of FIG. 14 .
- the present invention is directed to a dryer (or cleaner and dryer) for a substrate used in electronic component manufacturing, especially for the substrates used in manufacturing LCD panel, and hard disks.
- the invention is further directed to a method for cleaning and drying the substrates.
- a dryer in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention includes a bath, a chamber, an IPA delivery system, gas inlets and outlets, a fluid heater, and a chamber heater.
- Substrates are immersed in the bath containing a fluid, such as de-ionized water, and pulled from the bath to the chamber, which is above the bath.
- the IPA delivery system provides a mixture of IPA vapor and a carrier gas, such as nitrogen, to the interface between the substrates and the water in order to promote the removal of the water from the substrates.
- the interface is the boundary between a portion of the substrate out of the fluid and a portion of the substrate in the fluid.
- the heater is attached to the chamber to control the temperature of the chamber. The water is heated to promote the substrate drying.
- the present invention can be applied to LCD panel fabrication, hard disk fabrication, and other electronic component manufacturing that uses substrates.
- the embodiments of the invention that are described below are explained for the disk fabrication.
- the embodiments use IPA vapor to promote the substrate drying
- other polar organic vapors such as acetone vapor, or methanol vapor, can be used instead of the IPA vapor.
- FIGS. 1, 3 , and 4 illustrate a disk dryer 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention
- FIG. 2 illustrates a disk carrying system 10 of dryer 100
- Disk carrying system 10 carries four batches 102 of disks 104 . Each of batches 102 is carried in a nest 106 . Although disk carrying system 10 has four nests 106 , the number of nests 106 can be adjusted according to manufacturing environment.
- Each nest 106 has three parallel fingers 110 to support disks 104 , and bifurcated horizontal arms 112 cantilevered from a main drive column 114 support nests 106 .
- Arms 112 have a length LC sufficient to carry four nests 106 .
- Main drive column 114 moves up and down along a vertical axis 116 , so that arms 112 move up and down to move disks 104 during a drying operation.
- dryer 100 includes disk carrying system 10 , a bath 194 , a chamber 144 , a gas supply system 154 , and an IPA delivery system 50 .
- Disk carrying system 10 loads disks 104 in nests 106 from the top of chamber 144 through door 140 into bath 194 that contains a fluid such as water 192 .
- a fluid such as water 192 .
- water 192 is de-ionized and filtered water.
- water 192 is heated before being provided into bath 194 .
- disk carrying system 10 pulls disks 104 from bath 194 into chamber 144 , which is above bath 194 .
- chamber 144 is temperature- and humidity-controlled and is defined by chamber long walls 146 and short walls 148 .
- a length L of chamber 144 is longer than length LC of arms 112 .
- Chamber 144 has gas inlets 150 along an upper portion 152 of long walls 146 .
- Gas supply system 154 includes pipes 156 extending from a gas main 158 to gas inlets 150 to supply heated gas 160 to chamber 144 .
- Gas inlets 150 are evenly spaced apart from each other to introduce gas 160 evenly into chamber 144 .
- Chamber 144 further includes gas outlets 162 formed at an exterior base 166 , which extends perpendicularly from walls 146 and defines the bottom end of chamber 144 .
- gas outlets 162 are covered by an exhaust manifold 170 mounted on base 166 .
- Manifold 170 is connected to a plenum 172 that houses a variable speed fan 174 .
- Fan 174 exhausts gas 160 , water vapor evaporated from the water 192 , and the IPA vapor remaining after being used into an outlet pipe 178 that is connected to a main exhaust (not shown).
- IPA delivery system 50 includes an IPA delivery manifold 410 that supplies a mixture of IPA vapor and nitrogen to chamber 144 .
- nitrogen is passed through a bubbler (not shown) that contains liquid IPA and is connected to IPA delivery manifold 410 .
- SMR Self-Metering Reservoir
- SMR bubbler manufactured by iCon Dynamics, LLC in Rhinebeck, N.Y., can be used to generate the mixture to be supplied into chamber 144 via IPA delivery manifold 410 .
- the operation of the SMR bubbler is explained in detail in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,921,428, 5,938,985, and 6,019,114, which are herein incorporated by reference in their entireties.
- IPA delivery manifold 410 is between bath 194 and chamber 144 along two longitudinal sides of dryer 100 , so that the IPA vapor is supplied to disks 104 horizontally.
- Bath 194 is composed of sidewalls 204 and a bottom 202 .
- An upper portion 200 of sidewalls 204 has a saw-toothed configuration.
- chamber 144 is above bath 194 and is spaced apart from upper portion 200 of sidewalls 204 .
- Bath 194 further includes two fluid inlets 206 at bottom 202 of bath 194 . Through fluid inlets 206 , water 192 is supplied to bath 194 , and fluid inlets 206 are provided with diffuser plates 208 , which evenly spread water 192 that is supplied to bath 194 .
- Dryer 100 further includes a fluid outlet tank 212 around side walls 204 of bath 194 in order to contain the overflow of water 192 from bath 194 .
- Outlet tank 212 is connected to sidewalls 204 of bath 194 and base 166 of chamber walls 146 and 148 .
- Outlet tank 212 is open to the top to receive the overflow, and a pair of circulating drains 222 are provided at the bottom of the outlet tank 212 to drain the overflow of water 192 from outlet tank 212 to circulating pump 360 .
- a standpipe 220 is connected to outlet tank to drain an excessive overflow of water 192 from outlet tank 212 to outside. The detailed structure of outlet tank 212 is explained below with reference to FIG. 7 .
- Dryer 100 includes door 140 , which is composed of door parts 140 A and 140 B, at the top of dryer 100 .
- Door 140 opens when a disk delivery column 114 loads disks 104 from the top of dryer 100 into chamber 144 . Then, when disks 104 are completely loaded into chamber 144 , door 140 is closed with an opening through which disk delivery column 114 can move vertically.
- the clearance between door 140 and disk delivery column 114 is such that leakage of gas 160 from chamber 144 is minimized without interfering with vertical travel of disk delivery column 114 .
- Dryer 100 further includes door control drives 180 A and 180 B. As shown in FIG. 4, door control drive 180 B is disposed at the right end of dryer 100 , and door control drive 180 A is disposed at the left end of dryer 100 . Door control drives 180 A and 180 B are connected to each other by a shaft 185 to open and close door 140 .
- Pulley 256 is connected to shaft 185 such that rotation of pulley 256 makes shaft 185 rotate.
- the rotation of shaft 185 rotates a pulley of door control drive 180 B, which is equivalent to pulley 256 .
- door control drive 180 B opens and closes door parts 140 A and 140 B.
- piston rod 240 moves forward, door parts 140 A and 140 B moves apart from each other, so that door 140 is opened.
- piston rod 240 is driven backward by motor 234 , door parts 140 A and 140 B moves toward each other, so that door 140 is closed.
- FIG. 7 depicts the connection structure among bath 194 , chamber 144 , and IPA delivery manifold 410 .
- Exterior base 166 of chamber 144 extends along length L of chamber 144 and is provided with a series of gas outlets 162 .
- Outer tank 212 is composed of an inner wall 282 , an outer wall 280 , and a bottom wall 284 to receive the overflow of water 192 .
- Outer tank 212 further includes a tank flange 210 , which extends from outer wall 280 .
- Inner wall 282 of outer tank 212 is secured, for example, by welding, to side walls 204 of bath 194 .
- IPA delivery manifold 410 is inserted between tank flange 210 and an outer portion of base 166 by using gaskets 276 A and 276 B and a series of bolts 278 A and 278 B.
- Gaskets 276 A and 276 B can be made of PTFE sold under the trademark GORE-TEX. Thus, complete sealing is achieved between tank flange 210 and base 166 .
- FIG. 8 schematically illustrates gas supply system 154 .
- Pipes 156 branch appropriately to supply gas 160 to gas inlets 150 of chamber 144 (FIG. 3 ).
- FIG. 8 shows gas inlets 150 at only one side of chamber 144 .
- FIG. 9A shows in a plan view gas inlet 150 elongated in the direction of length L and having a curved rear wall 290 also extending longitudinally.
- Gas supply pipe 156 joins gas inlet 150 from a bottom 292 of gas inlet 150 and directs gas 160 against an opposite upper surface 294 . Then, the gas flow is directed off upper surface 294 and curved rear wall 290 to the center (see line CL) of chamber 144 and is also spread longitudinally by the curved rear wall 290 .
- gas inlets 150 spread gas 160 longitudinally and evenly across length L of chamber 144 .
- Reference symbol GC which is explained below, denotes gas curtains.
- FIG. 10A illustrates the drying of substrates 104 by hot gas 160 while disks 104 are pulled from bath 194 .
- Hot gas 160 flows downwardly from gas inlets 150 within chamber 144 , defining gas curtains GC.
- gas curtains GC touch the surfaces of disk 104 , so that a thin water film 392 (FIG. 16A) is evaporated by hot gas 160 .
- Gas curtains GC carry the evaporated water vapors downwardly in chamber 144 .
- Gas curtains GC also carry the water vapors evaporated from hot water 192 in bath 194 downwardly in chamber 144 .
- Variable speed fan 174 (FIG. 3) operates at a speed selected to produce reduced gas pressure at the lower portion of chamber 144 , so that gas curtains GC, after passing though disks 104 , merge into gas outlets 162 . Since gas curtains GC removes the water vapors and the remaining IPA vapor from chamber 144 through gas outlets 162 , chamber 144 can remain in dry condition although hot water 192 is prone to produce more water vapor than the room temperature water is.
- FIGS. 11A to 11 D depict nest 106 of FIG. 2 .
- nest 106 has three parallel bars 300 spaced apart from each other and is configured so as to minimize contact with disks 104 (FIG. 2 ).
- Bars 300 extend parallel to length L of chamber 144 .
- a pair of opposed end plates 302 hold bars 300 in position, which is the same as parallel fingers 110 in FIG. 2 .
- An upper surface 304 of each bar 300 has a saw tooth configuration having a series of V-shaped notches 306 . Each notch 306 is configured to receive and hold a disk 104 in a vertical position while making minimal contact with the disk 104 .
- FIG. 11B shows one of bars 300 .
- Bar 300 has an enlarged base 308 provided with holes 310 for receiving either a pin or a fastener 312 (FIG. 11A) to secure bar 300 to end plates 302 .
- a thin substrate holder section 314 is shown having opposite parallel left and right sides 316 and 318 .
- V-shaped notches 306 extend from left side 316 through thin section 314 to right side 318 .
- Top surface 304 of bar 300 is beveled at an angle VB relative to a vertical plane.
- FIGS. 11C and 11D show that notch 306 has a V-shape having a notch angle VA. Additionally, a pitch P between two adjacent notches 306 is determined according to the thickness of disk 104 . As a result of this configuration of notches 306 , disk 104 touches notch 306 only at two points 322 A and 322 B. Two points 322 A and 322 B are at left side 316 of thin section 314 because notches 306 are beveled as shown in FIG. 11 B. Further, any water 192 that is on disk 104 will tend to flow away from disk 104 to nest 106 through points 322 A and 322 B.
- Angles VA and VB as well as pitch P are determined according to the shape and size of disk 104 or a substrate. For example, for a disk having a thickness of 0.80 mm and a diameter of 95 mm, angles VA and VB are about 190 degrees and 30 degrees, and pitch P is 0.25 inches.
- FIG. 12 shows the side of dryer, illustrating a drive 330 for moving main drive column 114 and arm 112 that carries nests 106 .
- Drive 330 includes a servo motor 332 for moving main column 114 in response to signals 334 from a controller 340 (FIG. 13 ).
- Servo motor 332 may be a Model MAC-B231-NF40-C1 unit made by API Motion Inc., Amherst, N.Y., and having a lead screw (not shown) and a servo feedback loop (not shown) providing signals 342 to a controller 340 .
- controller 340 causes servo motor 332 to operate at different speeds according to drying condition.
- FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of a control circuit 343 for controlling the operation of dryer 100 .
- Controller 340 may be a programmable controller such as Model No. 2700 controller made by Control Technology Corporation, Hopkinton, Mass. Controller 340 controls heaters 232 , variable speed fan 174 , the flow of gas 160 through chamber 144 , the flow of water 192 in bath 194 , pneumatic motor 234 for door opening, server motor 332 (FIG. 12 ), and IPA delivery system 50 .
- Controller 340 controls heaters 232 , variable speed fan 174 , the flow of gas 160 through chamber 144 , the flow of water 192 in bath 194 , pneumatic motor 234 for door opening, server motor 332 (FIG. 12 ), and IPA delivery system 50 .
- controller 340 controls a heater 346 that heats gas 160 supplied from a gas tank 348 as well as heaters 232 that are attached to chamber 144 .
- Controller 340 provides a control signal 344 to heater 346 , and gas tank 348 preferably supplies inert gas 160 , such as N 2 gas.
- gas tank 348 preferably supplies inert gas 160 , such as N 2 gas.
- heater 346 heats gas 160 coming from gas tank 348 , and then heated gas 160 is supplied to chamber 144 through gas inlets 150 .
- a temperature sensor 350 is provided in chamber 144 at about 0.83 inches above the bottom of chamber 144 . Sensor 350 sends a feedback signal 351 to controller 340 .
- Controller 340 responds to signal 351 from sensor 350 and causes gas heater 346 and wall heaters 232 to maintain gas curtains GC at a desired temperature.
- the desired temperature depends on the temperature of water 192 in bath 194 .
- the gas temperature measured by gas sensor 350 should be above the temperature of water 192 at the top surface thereof, preferably by 1 to 20° C. The difference of 10° C. between the water temperature and the gas temperature is more preferable. The difference should not be so high as to cause water 192 to boil. For example, for 90° C. gas curtain temperature measured by sensor 350 , the temperature of the gas output from gas heater 346 may be about 170° C.
- Controller 340 provides a control signal 352 to variable speed fan 174 that is connected to exhaust manifold 170 .
- controller 340 adjusts the speed of fan 174 to control the relative humidity in chamber 144 .
- the relative humidity may be controlled below 50%.
- Controller 340 controls the flow of gas 160 by regulating an output valve 353 attached to gas tank 348 .
- the gas flow may be 1 to 10 cubic feet per minute (CFM).
- the gas flow rate varies depending on the type and the number of disks 104 to be dried.
- controller 340 may decrease the gas flow rate to the lower end of the range so that gas curtains GC will not cause water 192 in bath 194 to splash or otherwise be disturbed.
- Controller 340 controls IPA delivery system 50 .
- controller 340 cause IPA delivery system 50 to produce a mixture of IPA vapor and a carrier gas and to supply the mixture into chamber 144 through IPA delivery manifold 410 .
- FIG. 13 does not show the bubbler and the evaporator that produces the mixture.
- Controller 340 controls the flow rate of water 192 in bath 194 .
- controller 340 may send a signal 361 to a pump 360 that receives circulated water 192 from a circulating drain 222 , and supplies the received water 192 to a fluid heater 362 that heats water 192 before water 192 is supplied to bath 194 .
- the heated water 192 passes through a filter 364 before being supplied to bath 194 through water inlets 206 .
- Filter 364 may be a 0.05 micron PTFE filter made by Pall Corporation in East Hills, N.Y. It is preferable that filter 364 is designed to leave in the filtered water 192 only five 0.03 micron particles per cubic centimeter of the filtered water 192 .
- a temperature sensor 368 attached to circulating drain 222 measures the temperature of water 192 at circulating drain 222 and sends a signal 366 to controller 340 to notify the water temperature. Then, controller 340 provides a signal 367 to liquid heater 362 to maintain water 192 in bath 194 in the desired temperature range.
- Controller 340 controls pneumatic motor 234 that opens and closes door 140 .
- controller 340 sends a signal 376 to cause motor 234 to move piston rod 240 to open door 140 .
- controller 340 sends signal 334 to servo motor 332 (FIG. 12) to load nest 106 (FIG. 2) into chamber 144 and bath 194 .
- servo motor 332 sends signal 334 to controller 340 , and then controller 340 actuates motor 234 to close door 140 .
- signal 342 is provided from servo motor 332 to controller 340 .
- controller 340 generates signal 376 to cause motor 234 to open door 140 .
- controller 340 Another function of controller 340 is to activate an anti-static device 373 that creates a charge at the points at which gas 160 is introduced into inlets 150 to prevent static charge from existing in chamber 144 .
- controller 340 controls servo motor 332 .
- controller 340 receives feedback signal 342 from servo motor 332 indicating that arm 112 (FIG. 12) is up above chamber 144 .
- Controller 340 then causes servo motor 332 to lower nest 106 containing disks 104 into chamber 144 and then into bath 194 until substrates 104 are fully immersed in water 192 in bath 194 .
- Servo motor 332 sends signal 342 to controller 340 when nest 106 has moved lower than door 140 .
- controller 340 causes motor 234 to close door 140 .
- Servo motor 332 further sends signal 342 to indicate the full immersion of disks 104 , and in response controller 340 sends signal 334 causing servo motor 332 to stop. Controller 340 may then cause servo motor 332 to pull nest 106 upwardly from bath 194 to chamber 144 , and eventually out of chamber 144 in coordination with operation of door 140 .
- FIG. 14 shows a flow chart of a disk drying process 500 in dryer 100 of FIG. 1 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
- process 500 starts with establishing steady-state process conditions (step 510 ).
- Step 510 includes: determining the process conditions, such as gas flow rate, gas temperature, water flow rate, water temperature, and relative humidity inside chamber 144 ; and turning on heater 232 , sensors 350 , 356 , 368 , and 370 , and fan 174 .
- Controller 340 is programmed to set up the process conditions.
- step 520 controller 340 sends signal 376 to motor 234 to cause motor 234 to open door 140 .
- Nests 106 containing disks 104 are loaded on arm 112 , which is above door 140 .
- Nitrogen valve 353 is set by a signal 378 from controller 340 to provide the low gas flow rate described above.
- controller 340 causes servo motor 332 to lower disks 104 into chamber 144 .
- the servo motor 332 sends signal 342 to controller 340 indicating that disks 104 have passed door 140 .
- Controller 340 then causes motor 234 to close door 140 .
- the door closing can occur either when disks 104 are still in chamber 144 or when deeply immersed in bath 194 .
- disks 104 After disks 104 are immersed into the deep immersion position depth as shown in FIG. 15A, disks 104 dwell at the position for the cleaning of disks 104 (step 530 ).
- step 530 servo motor 332 sends signal 342 to controller 340 indicating that disks 104 are at the deep immersion depth, which is at least one inch below the top surface of water 192 in bath 194 .
- controller 340 causes servo motor 332 to stop or dwell, and via valve 353 , causes the gas flow rate to be increased to the preferred amount for drying.
- pump 360 circulates water 192 for 5 to 90 seconds to allow waters 192 in bath 194 to flow over substrates 104 and remove any particles (not shown) remaining on disks 104 , and the temperature of water 192 is set at 30 to 80° C. While disks 104 are cleaned, the temperature of gas 160 in chamber 144 is raised to 40 to 90° C., and the relative humidity in chamber 144 is kept below 50%.
- disks 104 are pulled upward to a shallow immersion depths, which is 0.1 to 1.0 inch below the top surface of water 192 , as shown in FIG. 15B (step 540 ). This transit takes about less than two seconds.
- IPA delivery manifold 410 (FIG. 3) begins to supply the IPA vapor along the top surface of water 192 .
- step 540 disks 104 are pulled from bath 194 into chamber 144 (step 550 ), as shown in FIG. 15C, at a constant rate, for example, about 0.5-2.5 mm/sec.
- controller 340 sends signal 361 to fluid pump 360 to stop the circulation of water 192 .
- Controller 340 continues to monitor the temperature and relative humidity in chamber 144 and to maintain the desired temperature and relative humidity described with respect to step 530 .
- IPA delivery manifold 410 (FIG. 3) continues to supply the IPA vapor along the top surface of water 192 .
- FIGS. 16A and 16B show the interface between water 192 and disk 104 while disk 104 is pulled from bath 194 in step 540 .
- the portion of disk 104 above the top surface of water 192 is composed of a dried surface 386 , a surface having a thin water film 392 thereon, and a surface having a water meniscus 388 thereon.
- Water film 392 and meniscus 388 are formed on both surfaces of disk 104 .
- Meniscus 388 is formed on disk 104 right after disk 104 is pulled from water 192 at the interface between disk 104 and water 192 .
- Meniscus 388 becomes water film 392
- water film 392 is dried by hot gas 160 (FIG. 3 ).
- water film 392 exists above meniscus 388 .
- the IPA vapor increases the wettability of disks 104 and promotes removal of water 192 from disk 104 .
- the top surface of water 192 is mixed with the IPA vapor.
- This IPA/water mixture has lower surface tension than the portion of water 192 remote from the IPA/water mixture.
- This surface tension difference causes water 194 to flow from the low surface tension region to the high surface tension region. That is, the surface tension difference between water 192 and the IPA/water mixture promotes the separation of water 192 from disk 104 .
- the height of meniscus 388 is typically less than 1 mm from the top surface of water 192 .
- the height of water film 392 is typically 0.005-0.5 mm from the boundary between water film 392 and meniscus 388 .
- water film 392 may exist only for a very brief period, e.g., 0.001-0.6 sec., before water film 392 evaporates in chamber 144 . Rapid evaporation of water film 392 , which leaves no stains on disk 104 , is desirable.
- the disk pulling rate is determined by the type of disk and the type of fluid in bath 194 , which is water 192 in this embodiment, and must allow the continuous formation of meniscus 388 and water film 392 . If the disk pulling rate is too high, meniscus 388 and water film 392 becomes discontinuous. This discontinuity causes non-uniform wetting of disk 104 . Accordingly, undesirable uneven drying and staining of disk 104 may occur.
- controller 340 continues to monitor the relative humidity in chamber 144 and to control the speed of fan 174 so as to remove gas 160 including water vapor from chamber 144 .
- the dwelling time may vary from zero to fifteen seconds, depending on the nature of the fluid in bath 194 .
- the dwelling time may be very short (e.g., zero or a mere pause to allow door 140 to be opened).
- a longer dwelling time may be used if the fluids are not easily dried during step 550 .
- controller 340 sends signal 376 to motor 234 to cause motor 234 to open door 140 . Controller 340 also sends signal 334 causing servo motor 332 to pull nest 106 containing dried disks 104 completely from chamber 144 , at which time disk drying process 500 is completed.
- the drying process of the present invention increases the wettability of the substrates and promotes the separation of water or fluid from the substrate and dries the substrate by transferring of thermal energy to the substrate. Since the IPA vapor supplied to the interface between the substrate and the fluid has lower surface tension than the fluid does, the IPA vapor dissolved on the top surface of the fluid in the bath promotes the removal of the fluid from the substrate while the substrate is pulled from the fluid in the bath. That is, the surface tension difference between the bulk fluid and the IPA/fluid mixture promotes the separation of the fluid from the substrate. Further, the IPA vapor increases the wettability of the substrates.
- the thermal energy for drying the substrate is provided from several sources. Initially, the hot fluid in the bath provides thermal energy to the substrate. Mainly, heated gas flowing in the chamber supplies thermal energy to remove the fluid remaining on the substrate. Further, the heater on the chamber wall supplies thermal energy into the chamber.
- the present invention can increase the efficiency of drying process.
- the combination of the enhanced wettability and the fluid removal by IPA, the use of hot fluid, and the controlled gas drying can shorten total drying time. Further, since the concentration of IPA at the interface between the fluid and the substrate is constant through the substrate removal from the fluid, the drying process is uniform and stable.
- the humidity and temperature controlled environment in the chamber prevents the condensation of water vapor on the substrate that has been dried.
- heated gas flows in the chamber from the gas inlet to gas outlet, the heated gas forms gas curtains that pick up and carry out of the chamber the water vapor evaporated from the heated water of the bath and the remaining IPA vapor that has encountered the substrate. Accordingly, the humidity in the chamber can be kept low, and the condensation can be avoided. Further, since the remaining IPA vapor is constantly removed and new IPA vapor is constantly supplied, the desired partial pressure of the IPA vapor can constantly kept low, so that stable drying process can be achieved.
Abstract
Description
Claims (20)
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US09/717,163 US6625901B1 (en) | 1999-05-27 | 2000-11-20 | Apparatus and method for drying a thin substrate |
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US13663599P | 1999-05-27 | 1999-05-27 | |
US09/579,837 US6477786B1 (en) | 1999-05-27 | 2000-05-26 | Apparatus for drying batches of disks |
US09/717,163 US6625901B1 (en) | 1999-05-27 | 2000-11-20 | Apparatus and method for drying a thin substrate |
Related Parent Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US09/579,837 Continuation-In-Part US6477786B1 (en) | 1999-05-27 | 2000-05-26 | Apparatus for drying batches of disks |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US6625901B1 true US6625901B1 (en) | 2003-09-30 |
Family
ID=46149900
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US09/717,163 Expired - Lifetime US6625901B1 (en) | 1999-05-27 | 2000-11-20 | Apparatus and method for drying a thin substrate |
Country Status (1)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US6625901B1 (en) |
Cited By (15)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20020072291A1 (en) * | 1998-10-13 | 2002-06-13 | Alwan James J. | Flat panel display including capacitor for alignment of baseplate and faceplate |
US20060158106A1 (en) * | 2005-01-14 | 2006-07-20 | Seiko Epson Corporation | Method of manufacturing light-emitting element, light-emitting element, display device and electronic equipment |
US20070084079A1 (en) * | 2005-01-11 | 2007-04-19 | Xuyen Pham | Multi-zone shower head for drying single semiconductor substrate |
US20070113423A1 (en) * | 2005-11-18 | 2007-05-24 | Hiroshi Tanaka | Drying apparatus, drying method, substrate processing apparatus, substrate processing method, and program recording medium |
US20070246079A1 (en) * | 2006-04-21 | 2007-10-25 | Xuyen Pham | Multi zone shower head for cleaning and drying wafer and method of cleaning and drying wafer |
US20080053485A1 (en) * | 2006-08-29 | 2008-03-06 | Takayuki Yanase | Method for cleaning and drying substrate |
US20080060214A1 (en) * | 2006-09-07 | 2008-03-13 | Hideki Nishimura | Substrate processing method, substrate processing apparatus, and program storage medium |
US8002901B1 (en) | 2009-01-15 | 2011-08-23 | Wd Media, Inc. | Temperature dependent pull speeds for drying of a wet cleaned workpiece |
US20110220153A1 (en) * | 2010-03-09 | 2011-09-15 | Tokyo Electron Limited | Substrate processing apparatus, substrate processing method and storage medium |
US8163093B1 (en) | 2009-02-11 | 2012-04-24 | Wd Media, Inc. | Cleaning operations with dwell time |
US8322045B2 (en) | 2002-06-13 | 2012-12-04 | Applied Materials, Inc. | Single wafer apparatus for drying semiconductor substrates using an inert gas air-knife |
US8562748B1 (en) | 2009-01-30 | 2013-10-22 | WD Media, LLC | Multiple cleaning processes in a single tank |
US20140101957A1 (en) * | 2012-10-11 | 2014-04-17 | Alan Richard Priebe | Barrier dryer transporting medium through heating liquid |
CN110875224A (en) * | 2018-08-30 | 2020-03-10 | 台湾积体电路制造股份有限公司 | Wafer cleaning method and cleaning chamber |
US11918023B2 (en) * | 2018-04-20 | 2024-03-05 | Bellwether Coffee Co. | Roasting system having roasting drum with actuatable hatch |
Citations (8)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US4984597A (en) | 1984-05-21 | 1991-01-15 | Cfm Technologies Research Associates | Apparatus for rinsing and drying surfaces |
US5520744A (en) * | 1993-05-17 | 1996-05-28 | Dainippon Screen Manufacturing Co., Ltd. | Device for rinsing and drying substrate |
US5569330A (en) | 1994-04-15 | 1996-10-29 | Steag Microtech Gmbh Donaueschingen | Method and device for chemically treating substrates |
US5571337A (en) | 1994-11-14 | 1996-11-05 | Yieldup International | Method for cleaning and drying a semiconductor wafer |
US5634978A (en) | 1994-11-14 | 1997-06-03 | Yieldup International | Ultra-low particle semiconductor method |
US5911837A (en) * | 1993-07-16 | 1999-06-15 | Legacy Systems, Inc. | Process for treatment of semiconductor wafers in a fluid |
US6027574A (en) * | 1997-08-07 | 2000-02-22 | Applied Materials, Inc. | Method of drying a substrate by lowering a fluid surface level |
US6132811A (en) * | 1995-08-23 | 2000-10-17 | Ictop Entwicklungs Gmbh | Procedure for the drying of silicon |
-
2000
- 2000-11-20 US US09/717,163 patent/US6625901B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
Patent Citations (9)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US4984597A (en) | 1984-05-21 | 1991-01-15 | Cfm Technologies Research Associates | Apparatus for rinsing and drying surfaces |
US4984597B1 (en) | 1984-05-21 | 1999-10-26 | Cfmt Inc | Apparatus for rinsing and drying surfaces |
US5520744A (en) * | 1993-05-17 | 1996-05-28 | Dainippon Screen Manufacturing Co., Ltd. | Device for rinsing and drying substrate |
US5911837A (en) * | 1993-07-16 | 1999-06-15 | Legacy Systems, Inc. | Process for treatment of semiconductor wafers in a fluid |
US5569330A (en) | 1994-04-15 | 1996-10-29 | Steag Microtech Gmbh Donaueschingen | Method and device for chemically treating substrates |
US5571337A (en) | 1994-11-14 | 1996-11-05 | Yieldup International | Method for cleaning and drying a semiconductor wafer |
US5634978A (en) | 1994-11-14 | 1997-06-03 | Yieldup International | Ultra-low particle semiconductor method |
US6132811A (en) * | 1995-08-23 | 2000-10-17 | Ictop Entwicklungs Gmbh | Procedure for the drying of silicon |
US6027574A (en) * | 1997-08-07 | 2000-02-22 | Applied Materials, Inc. | Method of drying a substrate by lowering a fluid surface level |
Cited By (25)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20020072291A1 (en) * | 1998-10-13 | 2002-06-13 | Alwan James J. | Flat panel display including capacitor for alignment of baseplate and faceplate |
US8322045B2 (en) | 2002-06-13 | 2012-12-04 | Applied Materials, Inc. | Single wafer apparatus for drying semiconductor substrates using an inert gas air-knife |
US20070084079A1 (en) * | 2005-01-11 | 2007-04-19 | Xuyen Pham | Multi-zone shower head for drying single semiconductor substrate |
US20060158106A1 (en) * | 2005-01-14 | 2006-07-20 | Seiko Epson Corporation | Method of manufacturing light-emitting element, light-emitting element, display device and electronic equipment |
US7591699B2 (en) * | 2005-01-14 | 2009-09-22 | Seiko Epson Corporation | Method of manufacturing light-emitting element including the emission layer and the carrier transfer layer |
US20070113423A1 (en) * | 2005-11-18 | 2007-05-24 | Hiroshi Tanaka | Drying apparatus, drying method, substrate processing apparatus, substrate processing method, and program recording medium |
US7581335B2 (en) * | 2005-11-18 | 2009-09-01 | Tokyo Electron Limited | Substrate drying processing apparatus, method, and program recording medium |
US20070246079A1 (en) * | 2006-04-21 | 2007-10-25 | Xuyen Pham | Multi zone shower head for cleaning and drying wafer and method of cleaning and drying wafer |
US20080053485A1 (en) * | 2006-08-29 | 2008-03-06 | Takayuki Yanase | Method for cleaning and drying substrate |
US20080060214A1 (en) * | 2006-09-07 | 2008-03-13 | Hideki Nishimura | Substrate processing method, substrate processing apparatus, and program storage medium |
US8020315B2 (en) * | 2006-09-07 | 2011-09-20 | Tokyo Electron Limited | Substrate processing method, substrate processing apparatus, and program storage medium |
US8266820B2 (en) | 2006-09-07 | 2012-09-18 | Tokyo Electron Limited | Substrate processing method, and program storage medium therefor |
US8002901B1 (en) | 2009-01-15 | 2011-08-23 | Wd Media, Inc. | Temperature dependent pull speeds for drying of a wet cleaned workpiece |
US9177601B1 (en) | 2009-01-30 | 2015-11-03 | WD Media, LLC | Multiple cleaning processes in a single tank |
US8562748B1 (en) | 2009-01-30 | 2013-10-22 | WD Media, LLC | Multiple cleaning processes in a single tank |
US8163093B1 (en) | 2009-02-11 | 2012-04-24 | Wd Media, Inc. | Cleaning operations with dwell time |
US8778092B2 (en) * | 2010-03-09 | 2014-07-15 | Tokyo Electron Limited | Substrate processing apparatus, substrate processing method and storage medium |
TWI494985B (en) * | 2010-03-09 | 2015-08-01 | Tokyo Electron Ltd | Substrate processing device, substrate processing method, and memory medium |
US20110220153A1 (en) * | 2010-03-09 | 2011-09-15 | Tokyo Electron Limited | Substrate processing apparatus, substrate processing method and storage medium |
US20140101957A1 (en) * | 2012-10-11 | 2014-04-17 | Alan Richard Priebe | Barrier dryer transporting medium through heating liquid |
US8826558B2 (en) * | 2012-10-11 | 2014-09-09 | Eastman Kodak Company | Barrier dryer transporting medium through heating liquid |
US11918023B2 (en) * | 2018-04-20 | 2024-03-05 | Bellwether Coffee Co. | Roasting system having roasting drum with actuatable hatch |
CN110875224A (en) * | 2018-08-30 | 2020-03-10 | 台湾积体电路制造股份有限公司 | Wafer cleaning method and cleaning chamber |
TWI755624B (en) * | 2018-08-30 | 2022-02-21 | 台灣積體電路製造股份有限公司 | Wafer cleaning method and cleaning chamber |
US11923210B2 (en) * | 2018-08-30 | 2024-03-05 | Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd. | Systems and methods for in-situ Marangoni cleaning |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
US6729040B2 (en) | Apparatus and method for drying a substrate using hydrophobic and polar organic compounds | |
US6625901B1 (en) | Apparatus and method for drying a thin substrate | |
US6430841B1 (en) | Apparatus for drying batches of wafers | |
EP1039506B1 (en) | Apparatus for cleaning and drying substrates | |
US6910487B2 (en) | Method and apparatus for liquid-treating and drying a substrate | |
US6875289B2 (en) | Semiconductor wafer cleaning systems and methods | |
EP3268986B1 (en) | Wafer dryer apparatus and method | |
US6401732B2 (en) | Thermocapillary dryer | |
US7223323B2 (en) | Multi-chemistry plating system | |
US6027574A (en) | Method of drying a substrate by lowering a fluid surface level | |
US7836900B2 (en) | Substrate processing system, substrate processing method, recording medium and software | |
KR101246838B1 (en) | Apparatus for electroless deposition of metals onto semiconductor substrates | |
JPH06502514A (en) | Semiconductor processing method and device | |
TW200303044A (en) | Substrate drying method and apparatus | |
TWI473667B (en) | Cleaning process and apparatus | |
US5695833A (en) | Method for uniform film coating of substrates | |
JP3892687B2 (en) | Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method | |
US20140127410A1 (en) | Plating method, plating apparatus and storage medium | |
EP4194586A2 (en) | Surface treatment apparatus | |
JP2799276B2 (en) | Cleaning equipment for pre-painting process | |
JP3767839B2 (en) | Substrate processing method and apparatus | |
JP4002470B2 (en) | Substrate drying method and apparatus | |
KR20220054110A (en) | Method for treating a substrate and an apparatus for treating a substrate | |
JP2003289063A (en) | Method and device for drying substrate | |
JP2003332186A (en) | Substrate drying method and device |
Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: OLIVER DESIGN, INC., CALIFORNIA Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:MEHMANDOUST, YASSIN;STEPHENS, DONALD E.;REEL/FRAME:011873/0012;SIGNING DATES FROM 20010510 TO 20010526 |
|
STCF | Information on status: patent grant |
Free format text: PATENTED CASE |
|
FEPP | Fee payment procedure |
Free format text: PAT HOLDER NO LONGER CLAIMS SMALL ENTITY STATUS, ENTITY STATUS SET TO UNDISCOUNTED (ORIGINAL EVENT CODE: STOL); ENTITY STATUS OF PATENT OWNER: LARGE ENTITY |
|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: XYRATEX TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED, UNITED KINGDOM Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:OLIVER DESIGN INC.;REEL/FRAME:017325/0671 Effective date: 20060221 |
|
FPAY | Fee payment |
Year of fee payment: 4 |
|
FEPP | Fee payment procedure |
Free format text: PAYOR NUMBER ASSIGNED (ORIGINAL EVENT CODE: ASPN); ENTITY STATUS OF PATENT OWNER: LARGE ENTITY Free format text: PAYER NUMBER DE-ASSIGNED (ORIGINAL EVENT CODE: RMPN); ENTITY STATUS OF PATENT OWNER: LARGE ENTITY |
|
FPAY | Fee payment |
Year of fee payment: 8 |
|
SULP | Surcharge for late payment |
Year of fee payment: 7 |
|
FEPP | Fee payment procedure |
Free format text: PAYOR NUMBER ASSIGNED (ORIGINAL EVENT CODE: ASPN); ENTITY STATUS OF PATENT OWNER: LARGE ENTITY Free format text: PAYER NUMBER DE-ASSIGNED (ORIGINAL EVENT CODE: RMPN); ENTITY STATUS OF PATENT OWNER: LARGE ENTITY |
|
FPAY | Fee payment |
Year of fee payment: 12 |